Healthcare Advocacy: How Nurses Can Influence Policy Changes

What is healthcare advocacy, and how can nurses become champions for better care? Nurses are in a unique position to advocate for their patients, their colleagues, and the broader healthcare system. With their close-up view of patient needs and system shortcomings, nurses have long been agents of change — both at the bedside and in policy settings.

Healthcare is not perfect, but when nurses advocate, big things can happen. For example, in response to worsening conditions for staff and patients in the 90s, the California Nurses Association lobbied for mandated patient ratios across the state. The resulting law, passed in 1999, was the first healthcare policy of its kind, requiring facilities to adequately staff units. California nurses returned to the bedside, working conditions improved, and patient mortality decreased.

Nurses have influenced policy in areas like maternal mortality, protections for whistleblowers, mandated breaks, and much more. In addition, NP practice authority can partially be attributed to efforts by the American Association of Nurse Practitioners. Your voice could help contribute to healthcare advocacy projects like these, improving life for both staff and patients.

Why Is Advocacy Important in Healthcare?

Nurses can use their experience to advocate in two ways — on behalf of patients and for the profession and medicine as a whole. Let’s break down why each is essential and some examples for both.

Patient Advocacy

When you use your nursing knowledge to improve care and outcomes, you’re being an advocate for patients. This is a professional duty for nurses in all settings. Patient advocacy is a core component of nursing autonomy and helps nurses promote dignity, safety, and equity in care. It requires using your nursing judgment, communication skills, and ethical reasoning to take action on behalf of patients.

Here are a few examples of patient advocacy:

• Ensuring that a non-English-speaking patient receives interpreter services during critical conversations
• Questioning a medication order that seems unsafe based on your patient’s condition or history
• Educating a patient about their rights and treatment options so they can make knowledgeable decisions and provide informed consent

Policy Advocacy

Healthcare or policy advocacy is working towards systemic changes that benefit nurses, clinicians, and patients. This often involves collaborating with professional organizations, community groups, or legislators, because changing laws and policies takes a coordinated effort from many people.

When you participate in policy advocacy in healthcare, whether in a formal role as a health policy nurse or in addition to your clinical practice, you use your nursing experience to influence conversations about how medicine operates. Issues that affect nurses — such as staffing ratios — often affect patients as well. Your efforts to improve medical systems can trickle down to those you care for.

Here are some examples of healthcare policy advocacy:

• Joining a professional organization’s advocacy committee to promote nursing-friendly legislation
• Writing to local lawmakers about the need for better staffing ratios or increased access to mental health services
• Letter-writing campaigns to expand Medicaid or improve maternal health outcomes
• Conducting research or quality-improvement projects that inform evidence-based policy change

How Can Nurses Practice Healthcare Advocacy? 5 Ways

1. Participate in Shared Governance

Unit-based councils and hospital-wide committees allow nurses to advocate for better clinical practices, safer staffing, and improved workflows. This form of internal advocacy ensures that the people most familiar with patient care are helping to shape the policies that affect it, and it’s an important element in Magnet designation for facilities.

Participating in shared governance can help you develop leadership skills, and it empowers nurses to be active contributors to their work environment. Being an active contributor at work could improve job satisfaction and help you network and learn from other clinicians.

2. Join a Nursing Organization

Consider joining a group of nurses with the same specialty or advocacy goals. These organizations often provide tools for legislative advocacy and networking. Plus, becoming a member can help you stay informed on key issues, complete continuing education requirements, and even pursue certification.

Check out the nursing associations below for more information:

• American Nurses Association (ANA)
• American Organization for Nursing Leadership (AONL)
• National Nurses United (NNU)
• National League for Nursing (NLN)
• American Association of Critical Care Nurses (AACN)
• Emergency Nurses Association (ENA)
• Oncology Nursing Society (ONS)

3. Participate in Union Efforts

Unions advocate for better working conditions and safe staffing, which directly impact patient outcomes. Unionized hospitals tend to have lower patient mortality rates, better nurse-to-patient ratios, and higher levels of nurse satisfaction. And even in nonunion hospitals, the standards unions help establish can raise expectations and influence broader hospital policies.

Participating in union activities — from attending meetings and voting to running for a delegate position — is one of the most effective ways nurses can engage in advocacy on a systems level. While not all nurses work in unionized settings, those who do have a platform to push for equity, safety, and sustainability in nursing.

4. Volunteer for Causes You Believe in

If you have extra time or energy, volunteering can be a meaningful way to apply your nursing skills outside of traditional care settings. Nurses bring a trusted, practical perspective that’s often needed in under-resourced spaces like community health fairs, mobile clinics, harm reduction efforts, or public health education events. You might offer blood pressure checks, educate families, or lend your voice to an advocacy campaign.

For nurses looking to volunteer in healthcare advocacy, contact local nonprofits, school boards, or healthcare-focused community coalitions. Your clinical insight can help bridge gaps between healthcare systems and the people they serve. Volunteering also keeps you connected to your community and can expose you to healthcare needs that don’t always make it into clinical settings.

5. Write or Speak Publicly About Nursing Issues

Public storytelling is a powerful form of healthcare advocacy. Writing opinion pieces, speaking at local meetings, or posting thoughtfully on social media can help you elevate issues that the public isn’t aware of. You don’t have to be a seasoned writer or public speaker. A clear, honest account of a challenge you’ve faced at work can illustrate staffing issues, access gaps, or policy shortfalls for people outside of healthcare.

Stories can resonate with the public and lawmakers in a way that data can’t. For example, nurse-led testimony has influenced state-level legislation around workplace violence protections. When nurses speak up, they make it harder to ignore the realities of healthcare. You can help drive progress and bring nursing into a better future.

Find New Ways to Work in Healthcare

Advocacy can take many forms. Are you advocating for your career? If you need a change or you’re curious about nursing roles in your area, learn about personalized job notifications that alert you to opportunities that fit your needs.